Plasma‐Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition‐Grown Zinc Oxide Thin Films for Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

Zinc oxide thin films are successfully deposited using plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), representing a novel approach for fabricating transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layers. The initial undoped ZnO film exhibits a polycrystalline structure with a pronounced (002) orientation and low optical absorptance. However, the electrical properties of the film are characterized by high resistivity and instability, primarily attributed to its porous morphology. These limitations can be addressed by incorporating aluminum‐doped zinc oxide or indium tin oxide seed layers, resulting in enhanced and more stable electrical performance. To demonstrate its applicability, this study reports the first successful integration of PECVD‐grown ZnO film as a front‐contact layer in silicon heterojunction solar cells. The addition of seed layers boosts the solar cell efficiency by increasing the fill factor through reduced series resistance. Despite the challenges with the initial film quality and the need to further refine the PECVD conditions to optimize the device performance, this study offers valuable insights into the current limitations and future potential of PECVD for TCO development. This lays the foundation for improving the PECVD process to produce high‐quality TCO, potentially establishing it as an alternative deposition method for next‐generation photovoltaic technology.